I was leaving for work when I heard someone wished me.
कैसे हो सर ?
An exciting voice made my day. At least, I thought so. They all were in a holiday mood. I asked them if they want to go to my destination. None was ready to go. I asked all of them one-by-one but the answer was NO.
This is the life of a rickshaw driver in the city. Sometimes I wonder they work so hard, day and night. They take us to the destination where we want to go. They fulfill our dream to reach.
In a city like Mumbai, they’re available 24 x 7, without any break. And believe me; it’s quite safe for the ladies to travel at night with them. Some of them are so honest, that they’ll even return you a bag full of money; if you forget it in their rickshaw.
I’ve been an avid rickshaw traveler for 15 years and it seems like, at one point or another, I’ve taken a ride with all of them. They’ve different faces — sometimes they make the city red, break the traffic lights and even become a cause of traffic jams.
On the other hand, they become the hero in times of distress and heavy monsoon. They’re unsung heroes of this concrete jungle.
But, all said and done, that day none was ready to take me to my dream destination and I was encouraged to capture this daily-divine moment forever!
